EMILY's List Announces Endorsement of Bev Perdue for Governor of North Carolina

Washington, D.C. – EMILY's List, the nation's largest grassroots political network and financial resource for women candidates, today announced its endorsement of Bev Perdue for governor of North Carolina.

"Bev Perdue is the kind of effective and accomplished leader who has again and again proven her ability to provide real positive change for the people of North Carolina," said Ellen R. Malcolm, president and founder of EMILY's List. "Bev has been a role model and champion for women and families, breaking down barriers in her professional life and tackling the challenges faced by North Carolinians in their daily lives. EMILY's List and its members look forward to making Bev Perdue the first woman governor of North Carolina."

A former schoolteacher and health care professional, Bev Perdue served as a state representative and state senator before becoming the first woman ever elected lieutenant governor in North Carolina. She has earned widespread recognition for her leadership on numerous issues, including raising teacher salaries, protecting North Carolina's military bases from federal closure, and making health care more affordable.

With a network of more than 100,000 members in North Carolina and around the country, EMILY's List is a financial powerhouse that channels contributions from individual women to our endorsed candidates. The average contribution was $98 last cycle and those individual contributors collectively invested more than $11 million dollars in the campaigns of pro-choice Democratic women across the country. In its 22 year history, EMILY's List has helped elect 69 Democratic pro-choice members of Congress, 13 U.S. senators, and eight governors. With this kind of support so early in the campaign, Perdue is poised to join an elite group of women governors supported by EMILY's List over the last few cycles, including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan.

"I am honored to receive EMILY's List's endorsement," said Lt. Governor Perdue. "This is a tremendous addition to both the financial and grassroots momentum of my campaign."

"I am also very aware – and proud – of the message that our campaign sends to girls and young women throughout North Carolina. You can accomplish anything if you work hard and get a good education," added Perdue. "But our campaign is about more than electing the first woman governor – it's about making North Carolina the best educated and healthiest state in America."

With more than 100,000 members across the country, EMILY's List is the largest political action committee in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY's List has raised over $240 million to elect 69 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 13 to the U.S. Senate, and eight governors. Over the course of 22 years, EMILY's List has helped elect hundreds of pro-choice Democratic women to federal office, state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices.